Meter control



g- 23, 1932- J. BROWNELL 1,873,539

METER CONTROL Filed Jan. 2. 1951 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR James L. Brownelk A1TORNEY$ Aug. 23, 1932. J, BRQWNELL 1,873,539

METER CONTROL Filed Jan. 2. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR James L. Brow/zed Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES L. BROWNELL, OF KAL AMAZOO, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO CHECKER CAB MAN'U- rnc'r'uxmo' CORPORATION, or KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN I METER con'rnor.

Application filed January, 2, 1981. Serial No. 506,155.

Theobjects of this invention are:

First, to provide suitable'actuating means for setting the fare registering parts of ataxi-meter into fare registering position by the occupancy of a seat in the vehicle without the necessity for action onthe part of the driver. a 7 a Second, to provide such electric means using a minimum amount of wiring.

Third, to provide suchmeans for actuat-v ing electromagnetic means for setting the fare registering parts into fare registering position so that the strength of the battery of the vehicle will be sufiicient to operate the parts. I c I Objects pertaining to details and-economies of construction and operation will definitely appear from the description to follow.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which: I Fig. 1 is an elevation of my device in a taxi-meter showin the electromagnets for setting the fare registering parts of the meter into registering position, more fully disclosed and claimed in my application for meter con trol Serial No. 504,752, filed December 26, 1930. i

Fig. 3 is a detail ofthe switch operated by the electromagnetic means for settingthe V fare recording parts of the meter in operation.

ing position. N

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the mechanism control mechanism and the electromagnetic operating means. I 1

In the drawings, 1 designates a taxi-meter,

2 is the cushion of the rear seat and 3 the auxiliary seat. 4, 4 are series switches, 5

Fig.2 is a view taken on 111162 2 of F 1. c

Fig. 4 is adetailed view of the meter control mechanism in an initial or non-reglsteris a portion of theframe held yieldingly away from switch 4 by springs, not shown, and 6 is a spring of the seat.

7 is the battery of vehicle. 8 is'a relay composed of an electromagnet-9 having poles 10, 10. Across these poles is an armature 11 pivoted at 12 to arm 13. Supported on said armature is a switch member 14 insulated as This switch member is adapted to contact with terminal 15 or terminal 16, which terminals are mounted on a suitable non-conducting base 17 supported by arm 17. Spring-18 tends to yieldingly urge said switch member 14 and the armature 11 in op- 7 position to the force of the electromagnett).

Terminal 15 is connected to electromagnet 19 by wire 20. Electromagnet 19 is grounded through wire 21, terminal 22 and switch 23. Terminal 16 is connected to electromagnet 24 by :wire 25.

battery 7 through wires'28, 29, 30, 31 and terminal 34 in a circuit controlled by the 33 and terminal 35 in a circuit controlled by switch 14 and terminal 15. Electromagnet 24 is connected to battery 7 through wires 25, 32, 33 and terminal 35 in a circuit controlled by switch member 14 and terminal 16.

When there is no weight on'either ofseats 2 or 3, the switches 4 are closed and a circuit is maintained energizing magnet 9 and holding armature 11 in the position shown in c Fig. 2, with switch member 14 and terminal 16 contacting. When a weight is placed on either of seats 2 or 3, one of switches 4 is opened and spring 18 urges contact member 14 into contact with the terminal15, estab- 35 lishing a circuit through electromagnet '19 and forcing plunger 19 into contact with lever 36 to actuate the mechanism for setting the fare registering parts of the meter into registering position. This mechanism is de- .0

Electromagnet 24 is 65 grounded through wire 26, terminal 2'? and switch 23. Electromagnet 10 is connected to scribed in detail and claimed in my application for meter control, Serial No. 504,752, filed December 26, 1930.

Lever 36 rotates switch 23. This breaks the contact between terminal 22 and switch 23 and spring return mechanism 40 retracts plunger 19. The rotation of switch 23 then makes a contact between terminal 27 and switch 23, as shown in Fig. 3. Lever 36 is held in position as shown in Fig. 3 by detent 38 in hell crank 37, which detent engages pin 39 on lever 36. Bell crank 37 is urged yieldingly into engagement by a spring not shown.

As long as the weight on seats 2 or 3 keeps switch 4 open, the mechanism remains in this position. hen the weight is removed, switches 4 close and magnet 9 pulls armature 11 to the position shown in Fig, 2, hold;- ing the contact between switch member 14 and terminal 16, energizing magnet 24, and forcing plunger 24 against bell crank 37' to disengage pin 39 from detent 88. A spring 82 urges the parts to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the rotation of switch 23 breaks contact and the plunger 24 is retracted by spring return mechanism 41, thus releasing the fare registering parts of the meter.

The fare registering parts of the meter, which are conventional and not shown herein, are controlled by the shaft 42. On the outside of the meter attached to this shaft is a flag 43. The shaft 42 can be rotated by a disk 44 attached thereto.

hen the electromagnet 19- is energized, the plunger 19 with the spring return mechanism 40- is forced out. This forces the lever 36 to the position illustrated by Fig. 2. The lever 36 is attached to the shaft 45, whichshaft is rotated by the lever 36. On the opposite end of the shaft 45 is a cam 46, as il lustrated by Fig. 6. \Vhen the plunger 19 actuates the lever 36, the cam 46- is turnedfrom the position shown in Fig. 6.

The lever 36 is held in open position by the pin 39 thereon, which engages the stop 38 on the bell crank 37 which is yieldingly urged into pin engaging position. When the cam 46 is rotated by this movement, the

lever 47 pivoted at 48 is forced downward. Through the link 49, the bell crank 50 pivoted at 51 is operated. The disk 44 which rotates shaft 42 is slotted as shown at 52 and 53. Directly adjacent to the disk 44 is a =3 cam member 54 with an additional cam surtwo projecting pins 56 and 57. The pin, 56

registers with one slot 52 in disk 44, and pin 57 registers with the slot 53 in disk 44. A spring 58 is fastened to the pin 57 and to the disk 44 at 59.

In the position shown in Fig. 4, the cam member 54 is in such position that the spring 58 is tensioned to actuate the disk 44. The disk is held against this motion by the pawl 60 which engages the detent 61 in the peripln cry of the disk 44. The pawl 60 is pivoted at 62 to the pawl 63 which is pivoted at the point 64. The pawl 63 is held in position by a spring 65 and engages the detent 66 of the cam member 54. The pawl 60 is held yieldingly in position by a spring 67 when the pawl 63 engages the detent 66 and the pawl 66 engages the detent 61. The spring 58 is flexed so that it tends to urge the disk 44 in a clockwise direction.

The cam surface 55 is engaged by a cam follower 68 on a lever 69 pivoted at 70 and held in contact with the cam surface 55 by a spring 71. When the bell crank lever 50 is operated through electromagnet 19 and link 49, the pawl 63 is raised, but not out of engagement with the detent 66, by the arm '7 2 on the bell crank lever 50. The pawl 60 then rotates around the point 62, and the spring 58 moves disk 44 one-eighth of a turn or the length of the slot 52, which movement is limited by the pin 56. As the disk 44 revolves, the pawl 60, remaining in engagement with the detent 61, is revolved further around the pivot 62, raising the pawl 63 out of engagement with the detent 66 on the cam member 54. The pawl 63 is disengaged by a toggle action of these parts. As

shown by Fig. 4, the pivot 62 is below a plane passing through detent 61 and pivot 64. In this position, the pawl 63 is forced or' locked by the pawl 60 into engagement with detent 66. However, when the arm 72 raises the pivot 62- above the plane through detent 66 and pivot 64, this lock is broken and thepawlsare free to be turned by the disk 44, as pointed outabove. The cam follower 68 then engages cam face 73 of the cam surface 55 and forces the cam member 54 and the disk 44 one-quarter turn to set the fare registering parts of the meter into operative position.

When the bell crank lever 50 is rotated about the point 51, the arm 74 of the bell crank lever releases the lever 75 which in the first position is held by a pin 76 which bears against arm 7 4. A spring 77 forces the. lever 75 into contact with the surface of disk 44, and when the disk 44 has rotated one-quarter turn and has set the fare registering parts of the meter in operative position, the lever 75 engages the detent 61 and prevents further movement of the shaft 42 either automatically or manually. The spring 77 is attached to a pawl 78. which engages the surface of the disk 44 and in the quarter turn position engages adetent 79 in the periphery of the disk 44 to prevent backward movement of the shaft 42. Levers 75 and 78 are pivoted at the point 80.

As long as the passenger remains on the tion until the passenger leaves the seat. When the passengers weight is removed from the seat, the electromagnet 24 is energized as described above and forces the plunger 24 into contact with the arm of the bell'crank 3 lever 37. This releases pin 39 from the stop 38 to allow lever 36 to assume the position shown in Fig. 1.

When the lever 36 is released, the plunger 24 is retracted, as shown in Fig. 1 and as de-' scribed above.

The arm 74 of the bell crank 50 engages pin 76 of lever 7 5 and releases it from detent 61 in disk 44. This allows manual operation of'the flag 43 to turn the meter to the position shown in Fig. 4. When by manual operation the shaft 42 is rotated, the face 81 of the cam 55 engages with the cam follower 68. As the manual rotation continues, the cam surface 55 forces the lever 68 upward, increasing the tension on spring 71 until the cam follower 68 is past the point of the lift or dead center of the cam surface 55.

At this point, the pawl 60 engages the do tent 61 in the disk 44, thereby preventing further rotation of the flag. The cam follower 68 engaging the face 73 ofcam surface 55 forces the cam disk 54 on to a further oneeighth turn or a distance equal to the length of slot 52. During this operation, the pawl 63 engages the periphery of cam member 54 and comes to rest in detent 66, thuspreventing further movement of the cam member 54. The spring 58 is tensioned by this movement, and the springs and 67 return the pawls 50 and 63 to the position shown in Fig. 4, thus resetting the mechanism.

As described above, when the lever 36 is released, the spring 82 through bell crank lever 50 and link 49 turns shaft 45 and switch 23 so that the contact is broken and plunger 24 is retracted by'spring return mechanism 41.

I have illustrated my improvement in an whereby to move the fare registering parts?of said meter into operative position, an electro-' magnet for releasing said parts from. fare registering position, circuits for energiz ng said electromagnets, a two-way swltch alternately 1 closing said circuits, an electromag net for actuating said two-way switch, a circuit for energizing said switch controlling magnet, and a switch automatically operated by an occupant of the vehicle for controlling said circui r 2. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a taxl-meter, means for storlng energy fllI'IllSh ed by the operator to move the operating parts of the meter into operative position, mechanism including electrical means for releasing said stored energy, whereby to move the fare registering parts of said meter into operative position, electrical means for releasing said fare registering parts, circuits for energizing both of said electrical means,

a two-way switch alternately closing said circuits, an electromagnet for actuating said two-way switch, a circuit for energizing said a switch controlling magnet, and a switch automaticallyoperated by an occupant of the vehicle for controlling said circuit.

a 3. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a taxi-meter, means for storing energy furnished by the operator to move the operating parts of the meter into operative position, mechanism including electrical means for releasing said stored energy, whereby to move the fare registering parts of said meter into operative position, a switch controlling said electrical means, an electromagnet for actuating said switch, a circuit for energizing said switch controlling magnet, and a switch automatically operated by an occupant of the vehicle for controlling said circuit.

4. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a taxi-meter, means for storing energy furnished by theoperator to move the operating parts of the meter into operative position, mechanism including an electromagnet for releasing said stored energy, wherebyto move the fare registering parts of said meter into operative position, an electromagnet for releasing said parts from fare registering position, circuits for energizing said electromagnet, a relay for alternatelyclosing said circuits, and a switch automatically operated by an occupant of the vehicle for controlling said relay.

5. In a, motor vehicle, the combination of a ta xi-meter, means for storing energy furnished by the operator to move the operating parts of the meter into operative position,

mechanism including electrical means for reswitch automatically operated by an occupant of the vehicle for controlling said relay.

6. In amotor vehicle, the combination of a taxi-meter, electrically controlled means for setting the fare registering parts of said meter into operative position, electrically controlled means for releasing the parts from fare-registering position, a relay for alternately effecting the operation of said two means, and aswitch operated by an occupant of the vehicle for controlling said relay.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES L. BROWNELL. 

